Implement for setting jewel pins



April 3, 1951 J. E. |:n:A vENNE 2,547,198

IMPLEMENT FOR SETTING JEWEL PINS Filed March 9. 1949 Patented Apr. 3, 1951 Y OFFICE IMPLEMENT FOR SETTING JEWEL PINS John Ernest De Venne, Waltham, Mass.

Application March 9, 1949, Serial No. 80,393

This invention relates tc hcrology o1' kindred arts, in particular to escapement mechanisms of the roller or cylinder type such as are used in watches, clocks or other instruments in which accuracy of timing of a driven part is essential, the invention being directed to an improved tool or implement for use in setting the jewel pin of such an escapement.

In roller-type escapements the toothed escape Wheel, which is .urged forwardly by the main spring or other motor means, oscillates a pallet having a fork which, at times engages the jewel pin carried'by a roller iiXed to the staff of the balance Wheel. The pallet fork, by contact with the jewel pin, imparts an impulse to the balance wheel in a direction to wind up the hair spring. When the balance wheel starts its reverse rotation, by the action of the hairspring, the jewel pinswings the pallet in the opposite direction and unlocks the escape Wheel andreverses the latter so as to position it in readiness to receive the next forward impulse from the main spring.

The jewel pin is a tiny rod of sapphire, slabbed off at one side to provide a flat surface and is set firmly (with or Without cement) in a hole in the roller or cylinder. This jewel pin is. small (varying in size in different instruments) but may, for example, be of the order of 0.5 mm. in diameter. To insert it or adjust it in the hole in the roller, particularly in a double roller, by means of usually available tools or implements requires great care and skillg" Moreover, iis locationis such that it is not readily accessible except by disassembling the escapement mechanism.

The principal object of the present invention is -to provide a tool or implement for'use in installing or adjusting the jewel pin of suchan escapement. A further object is to provide a jewel pin setting tool which grips the pin at its opposite edges so that the pin is firmly held and may be rotated yfor accurate adjustment. A 'further obn ject is to provide a jewel pin setting tool having provision for adjusting the pin axially, that is to say, for moving it up or down to the proper height in the roller. A further object is to provide a jewel pin setting tool by means of which the pin may be manipulated forl introduction, adjustment r removal withoutdisassembling the roll and balance stai. A further/object is to provide a jewel pin setting tool by means of which the pin may be set in a one piece tableroller or in a combination table and safety roller. A further object is to provide a tool of rugged, simple, relatively inexpensive construction. Other and further cbjects and advantages of the invention will lbe pointed out in the following more detailed description and by reference to theiaccompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the tool or implement substantially to full scale; Y

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the tool or implement with a portion of the handle vbroken away;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan View of the tool, to much larger scale than Fig. 1, and showing in broken lines how the jaws may be opened, certain parts being shown in horizontal section;

Fig. 4 is a bottomview of the implement, but with the handle broken away and with the jawactuating lever removed;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an edge elevation, to larger scale, of the roller of a double-roller escapement showing the jewel pin in place;

Fig. `7 is a fragmentary 4plan view of the double roller of Fig. 6, the upper roller being broken away and its staff being partly in section, showing the jaws of the implement of the present invention holding the jewel vpin in position to be inserted;

'Fig 8 is a fragmentary section to the same large scale as Fig. 7 substantially on the line 3 5 vof the latter and showing the balance wheel assembled with the double roller;

Fig. 9 is a plan view, to substantially the same .scale as Fig. 3, of the jaw member removed from the other parts of the implement; and

Fig. 10 is a. transverse section, to large scale, substantially on the line lll-lll of Fig. 6.

In Fig. 8 the numeral l indicates the balance wheel of an escapement mechanism, the one here specically shown by way of example being that known as the Waltham double roller escapement well-known in the watch-making art. This balance wheel has the staff 2;y On the lower part of this staff is mounted the hollow staif'3 of the roller 4, thisV roller comprising the upper disk 5 and the lower disk E. The upper diei; has an eccentrica-Hy located hole for the jewel pin l. The exposed portion, at least of the jewel pin (Fig' 10) is slabbed off to provide the flat surface '8, the edges of which are usually rounded off.

The tool of the present invention is designed for use in holding the jewel pin 'I while it is being set into the hole in the disk 5 of the roller and for use in turning the pin within the hole so that the flat face 8 of the pin may be arranged to lie in the proper plane for cooperation with the fork of the pallet.

As here illustrated, the tool comprises a rigid circular base plate 9 which may, for example, be of a diameter of 14 mm. and of a thickness of approximately 1.0 mm. This base plate has a central elongate chamber Ill (Fig. 4) which, for example, may be of the order of 2 mm. in length and approximately half as wide.

A handle bar II extends diametrically across the base plate at its underside, the major axis of the chamber Iii registering with the center line of this handle bar. The bar II is of a Width greater than that of the chamber I and is fixed to the underside of the base plate, for example by soldering or welding, the upper surface of the bar forming the floor of the chamber Ii). The bar lI I is of rigid material, for example a length of square bar steel, and is of a convenient length, for instance 75 mm., to support a handle H of suitable material, for example wood or plastic, designed to be grasped in the ngers of the user.

The base plate has four symmetrically arranged screw-threaded holes I2, I3, Id and I5, the centers of the holes I2 and I3 being on a line parallel to the bar I I and at one side of the center line of the bar, and the centers of the holes I4 and I5 being similarly arranged ,at the opposite side of the center line of the bar. The base plate also has a hole I6' (Fig. 4) larger in diameter than the holes I2, I3, etc., and with its center substantially in the line joining the centers of the holes I2 and I3.

A jaw member I5 (Fig. 9) rests upon the upper surface ci the base plate. According to a preferred construction, this jaw member is a thin disk or" spring steel of approximately the same diameter as the base plate and concentric with the latter and, for instance, may be of a thickness of the order of approximately 9.5 mm. At least, it should be of a thickness less than the length of the pallet-engaging portion of the jewel pin. This spring jaw member has a central aperture Il of a diameter amply large enough to accommodate the lower disk 6 of the escapement roller It also has a relatively larger opening IS, for example an opening of the order of 4 mm. in diameter, eccentric with reference to the center of the jaw member I6 and with its edge spaced from the edge of the jaw member so as to provide a jaw-connecting portion I9 which is of a radial width for example of the order of 1 mm. The jaw member i6 is split along a diameter joining the centers of the openings Il' and I8, a portion of the split extending from the periphery of the opening Il to that of the opening I8. The split also extends, as shown at 2 I, from the opening I'I to a jewel pin opening 22 which is of a size and shape to accommodate the jewel pin 'I (when the parts of the disk at opposite sides of the split have been separated). This opening 22 is thus of substantiallyA semicircular shape and has its curved side toward the opening Il and its straight side substantially perpendicular to the diameter of the split. The split also extends from the straight side of the opening 22 to the edge of the jaw member I6. The jaw member thus comprises substantially semicircular portions joined only by the narrow part I9. Being of spring metal, the opposed jaw portions 24 and 25 may be sprung apart by the application of force so as to increase the transverse dimensions of the jewel-pin hole 22 so as to permit the entriT of a jewel pin into the hole. However, when the stressing force is released, the jaws 24 and 25 tend to resume their normal relation and, in doing so, to grip the jewel pin rmly between the opposed edges of the opening 22,

The jaw member I6 (Fig. 9) is provided with holes 26, 2I, 28 and 29 whose centers register with the centers of the holes I2, I3, etc., in the base plate when the parts are assembled. Shoulder screws 3B pass through the holes 26 and 21 and have threaded engagement with the holes I2 and I3 in the base plate. Other screws 3| pass through the holes 28 and 29 in the jaw member and have threaded engagement with the openings Ifl and I5 in the base plate. The holes 26 and 2l are of a diameter suiciently greater than that of the screws 35 to permit movement of the jaw member 25 away from the jaw member 24 when the parts are assembled.

Parallel plates 32 and 33, here shown as disks but not necessarily of that shape, are secured, for example by solder or welding, to the handle bar I I at a convenient distance from the edge of the base plate, for instance a distance such that the proximate edges of the plates 32 and 33 and the base plate are spaced approximately 8 mm. apart. The plates 32 and 33 are of rigid metal and disposed at opposite sides of the bar I I and in planes parallel to the plane of the base plate. A pivot pin 3e is secured at its opposite ends to the plates 32 and 33, respectively, and forms a fulcrum for a jaw-actuating lever 35. This lever is of rigid material, for example of stock like the handle bar i I. A screw 35 (Figs. l and 3) passes through a hole 31 (Fig. 9,) in the jaw member i5 and through the hole i6 (Fig. 4) of the base plate (the latter hole being large enough to permit the requisite lateral movement of the screw 35), the screw having threaded engagement with a hole in the left-hand end of the lever 35 (as viewed in Fig. l). A spring 3l interposed between the bar I I and the lever 35 tends to move the lever in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. l)V and thus to assist the natural resiliency of the spring metal of the jaw member at the part I9 in holding the jaws closed. A part 38, for example a metal disk, is secured to the right-hand end of the actuating lever 35 and is designed to receive the pressure of the users thumb for opening the jaws.

To provide for axial positioning of the jewel pin, an abutment screw 39 (Fig. 8) has threaded engagement with the opening in the handle bar il, the screw passing up through the hole IE! in the base plate 3 and being aligned with the opening 22 which receives the jewel pin. By turning this screw, the position of the lower end of the jewel pin, when gripped by the jaws, may be predetermined.

As illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the jewel pin 1 is held between the jaws with the lower end of the jewel pin resting on the upper end of the screw 39. In Fig. 8, the lower disk 5 of the double roller 4 is shown as housed in the chamber I0 of the base plate and the jewel pin has been pushed up into the opening of the upper disk 5 of the roller. By moving the handle of the implement to the right o-r left, the pin 'I may be turned Vin the aperture in the disk 5 so as to dispose the flat side 8 of the pin in the proper plane. Since the lower end of the pin rests firmly on the screw 39, substantial force may be exerted for forcing the pin into the opening in the disk 5. During the manipulations of the pin, either to insert it or to adjust it, the pin is firmly held between the jaws of the implement so that there is no danger of dropping it, and by reason of the shape of the jaw end of the implement and the provision of the chamber I0, it is possible to install and adjust the pin even in a double roller, without necessitating the disassembly of the entire escapement` mechanism.

Instead of making the pin-gripping jaws as parts of a unitary piece of spring steel, it is obvious that they may be made as independent elements,.one at least being pivotally mounted on the base plate 9, and with suitable spring means urging them toward each other.

While certain dimensions have here been suggested as desirable, it is to be understood that the exact dimensions herein referred to are not essential but merely by way of example. Moreover, where certain materials have been suggested, it is to be understood that other and appropriate materials may be substituted for those mentioned and that a specifically diilerent arrangement of parts and the substitution of parts of diierent shapes from those illustrated are all to be regarded as within the scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In combination in an implement -for setting the jewel pin of a roller-type escapement mechanism, a rigid base plate, a handle bar xed to the underside of the base plate, a handle mounted on the free end of the handle bar, opposed jaws movably mounted on the upper side of the base plate, one of said jaws being movable relatively to the other, a manually actuable lever for separating the jaws, a spring urging the jaws toward each other, the opposed faces of the jaws being shaped to receive and to grip a jewel pin between them, and means for positioning the lower end of a jewel pin gripped between the jaws.

2. In combination in an implement for setting the jewel pin of a roller-type escapement mechanism, a rigid circular base plate, a handle attached to the base plate, a thin disk of spring metal mounted on the base plate, said disk being radially split to provide opposed jaw portions which are integrally and resiliently united by a portion of the material of the disk, said jaw portions having recesses in their opposed edges which collectively dene an aperture for the reception of the jewel pin, and means for separating the jaw portions of the disk to admit the jewel pin to said aperture.

3. In combination in an implement for setting the jewel pin of a roller-type escapement mechanism, a base plate having therein a chamber of a size to receive the lower disk of a double roller escapement, a thin resilient plate mounted upon and overlying the base plate and having an opening giving access to said chamber and through which the lower disk of the double roller may be entered into the chamber, said thin, resilient plate also having opposed jaw portions whose opposite edges are shaped to grip a jewel pin interposed between them, the resiliency of the plate urging said jaw portions toward each other, and means for spacing said jaw portions to admit a jewel pin between them.

4. In combination in an implement for setting the jewel pin of a roller-type escapement mechanism, a disk-like base plate of the order of fourteen millimeters in diameter, a rigid handle bar fixed to the underside of said plate, a thin disk of spring steel mounted upon and overlying the base plate coaxial with the latter and of approximately the same diameter as the base plate, the

base plate having a central chamber of a size to accommodate the lower disk of a double roller escapement, the thin disk having an aperture therein `through which the lower disk of the double roller may be entered into said chamber, the spring disk being radially split to provide relatively movable jaw portions integrally united, the opposite edges of the jaw portions being shaped, at a point above a portion of said chamber, to receive and to grip a jewel pin between them, a handle for supporting the base plate, and means for separating the jaw portions to admit a jewel pin between them,

5. In combination in an implement for setting the jewel pin of a roller-type escapement mechanism, a rigid circular base plate, a rigid handle bar extending diametrically across the base plate at the lower side of the latter and rigidly secured to said plate, a thin disk of spring steel mounted on the upper surface of the base plate in coaxial relation to the latter, said disk being radially split across the major portion of its width thereby providing 3. pair of relatively movable jaws integrally joined, the opposite edges of said jaws being shaped to receive and to grip a jewell pin between them, and an adjustable stop engageable with the lower end of a jewel pin to support it in predetermined position while it is being gripped between the jaws.

6. In combination in an implement for setting the jewel pin of a roller-type escapement mechanism, a rigid circular base plate having a transversely elongate central chamber, a handle bar extending diametrically of the plate at its underside and forming the floorof said chamber, a thin jaw member of spring steel mounted upon and overlying the base plate, said jaw member being radially split to define two integrally connected, relatively movable jaw portions, said jaw member having a substantially circular opening coaxial with the base plate and giving access to said chamber, and a pin-receiving opening, spaced from said circular opening, of a size and shape substantially like the transverse section of a jewel pin, the split in said jaw member bisecting the pin-receiving opening, a lever fulcrumed on the handle bar, means connecting the lever to one of the jaws, means for moving the lever to separate the jaws, and a screw having threaded engagement with a hole in the handle bar and which `is axially aligned with the pin-receiving opening in the jaw member, said screw constituting a support for the lower end of a jewel pin held in the grip of the jaws.

JOHN ERNEST DE VENNE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 821,396 Aune May 22, 1906 956,280 Bryar Apr. 26, 1910 1,261,716 Culman Apr. 2, 1918 1,328,389 Norwood Jan. 20, 1920 1,857,968 Mohr May 10, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 611,064 Great Britain Oct. 25, 1948 

